Being part of the planning team for annual breakfast has big impact.

“I pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about men’s violence against women and children.” — Voices of Men White Ribbon Pledge

That’s the pledge of Fox Valley Voices of Men, and it’s one I was able to lead recently for more than 700 men at this local group’s annual breakfast. I’d like to share a bit about my journey with Voices of Men during my senior year at Appleton East.

For me, Voices of Men has already played a huge role in my life. As an athlete at East, I had attended two previous breakfast events before this last one in June. At the first breakfast I attended, there were pledge cards on the table, about the size of a business card, and the other side asked for your name and included a pledge: “The action I will do/take is…”

The action that I wrote on that line was to speak up. After that first meeting, I could feel the change in my life, as I was more aware of my surroundings and how those surroundings affect women and girls.

Last fall, our football coach, Pat Schwanke, asked if any of the players would like to step up and be a key part of the breakfast planning team. I decided it was the right time for me. I was soon partnered with Ben Vogel, associate superintendent with the Appleton Area School District and a co-emcee of the breakfast, and charged with increasing our focus on student attendance at the breakfast.

Being that I was a high school student who was about to be a part of a meeting with a group that was made up of Fox Valley area leaders, I guess you could say I was very nervous when I attended our first meeting. But, right from the start of that meeting, I felt welcomed. Increasing the attendance of high school students at this unique breakfast was a big job, so I asked for some help from my friend, Jake Gostisha.

The three of us soon met with many of the principals and leaders from the public high schools in Appleton, where we presented what Voices of Men was and what it stood for. The reception we received was amazing, as every school showed a lot of interest in offering their students a chance to attend the breakfast. At the next breakfast meeting, Willems Marketing provided us with posters to give to all of our targeted high schools from the region. The push had begun.

At the last meeting before the breakfast, the breakfast planning team surprised me by offering me the opportunity to lead the pledge at the breakfast. What an honor. I jumped at this opportunity.

I realized the night before during the event walk-through, as I looked at all the tables set up, just how big the event was going to be.

The next morning, as the ballroom filled, it was a tremendous sight. The ballroom was packed with a total of 783 people in attendance, including more than 200 high school students. I found out later it was double the high school attendance of last year.

When it came time for me to lead the pledge, I was shaking since public speaking isn’t my strong point. But, when I got on stage, though I was taken aback by just how many people were in attendance, hearing the thunderous roar of people repeating the pledge that I was leading gave me a huge sense of pride.

I was proud that all of the hard work the entire breakfast team put in had paid off for this spectacular moment, and I was proud that I was able to have an impact with the team. Even more so, I was proud to be a member of Voices of Men.

Most of all, words can’t describe how grateful I am that I was given this fantastic opportunity to work with these amazing people and to have made an impact on a presentation that can, and hopefully will, change lives.

So, thank you to all the men who attended the event for making a difference and special thanks to Voices of Men for allowing me to be a part of the breakfast team. I will cherish the memories and will carry everything I have learned with me the rest of my life.

— Kyle Timm is an Appleton resident. He can be reached at pcletters@postcrescent.com